The Blog
of grace & gumption
In a few short hours, I’m going to Israel. Yes, that Israel. The one that’s over seven thousand miles away. Despite the fact that I hate flying and do NOT like traveling without my children, Jason and I – along with twenty-plus other people from our church – are...
Let me guess. You had grand plans for spiritual growth this summer. You were not only going to finish the New Testament, you were also going to read a chapter of Proverbs every night to your kids before kissing their sunburned cheeks goodnight. You were going to get...
Today, I am 38 years, 7 months, and 24 days old. If you’re counting, that’s 14,116 days of breath and heart beats. Not a typical day on the calendar that traditionally calls for reflection and celebration, but still a milestone age in my book. Because today, June 22,...
My children are out of school in 3 1/2 days, which means that - according to my handy little phone countdown app - I have just under 74 hours to prepare for ... SUMMER. Of course, I am super excited about swimming, popsicles, going to the park, Vacation Bible School...
God’s entire reputation was in jeopardy, and it was totally up to me to protect it. My heart pounded. My palms grew sweaty. My eyes darted from left to right searching for any bit of helpful information to materialize from thin air. What if I said the wrong thing?...
Recently I was talking to a friend at church when she made a startling confession. In the middle of our conversation about motherhood, work and keeping God at the center of it all, she glanced over her shoulder, lowered her voice to a whisper and said, “Ok, so the...
Last night, the Ryan family had a bedtime revival. It was Easter, and the end of a wonderful but exhausting Holy Week. Every night last week our church had a Resurrection Awakening service (read: Revival) with some of the most fabulous preachers and musicians we’ve...
The house was quiet, the room was still, and I was sitting in my hand-me-down recliner in the corner of my bedroom arguing with God. “I don’t want to pray that!” I kept repeating. “Not again. And NOT about that.” My spirit crumbled as I approached my Father like a...
Let me make one thing clear. Garth Brooks was wrong. There are no “unanswered prayers” and they certainly are not some of God’s greatest gifts. I have believed this ever since Garth’s hit song, “Unanswered Prayers” debuted in 1990 and quickly climbed the charts to No....
I’ve never met anyone who’s entered into marriage planning to have an affair. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Almost everyone enters marriage with a vow of fidelity. I know I did. Jason and I married in 2003 and the Lord has blessed us with the ability to live...
Several years ago, my husband and I attended the funeral of the wonderful woman who lived next door to him when he was growing up. Evelyn was a sweet, godly woman who loved children and became the adopted grandmother to just about every child she encountered. I’ll...
Years ago, when I was young-but-old-enough-to-know-better, I found myself sitting around a camp fire. The flames danced before me and warmed me from the outside in. At one point, a single ember leaped from the chorus to perform a solo dance for its captive audience. I...